Cadillac Repair/block heater

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Expert: - 3/8/2010


Question
I never knew this but my 1988 Cadillac Eldorado has a block heater. I was reading the owners manual the other day and I came across it. I only had the car a couple of years and i never know I could plug in at night in the cold weather. It works off a 100 volt plug, right? Where would I find it when I have the hood up? I've looked in there but never knew there was a block heater somewhere in there. Can you help me locate it please?   Thanks  Bob

Answer
Hello,

There is not standadized location, but if equipped (was an option for the car,but came from the factory for cars sold in the colder climates).

If equipped, you need to look under the front bumper or down bt the front of the a/c condensor (radiator area). You will find a 110 plug with a cord.

Being from thr northwoods of Wisconsin and use to 20+ 30 below, with my cars sitting outside, I never needed to plug in. I always kept clean 5-w30 for oil in the engine and always had a good battery and never a problem. 3 of my gas engine vehicles had heaters and I never uncoiled the cord.

If the engine turns over slow in cold weather, youneed the batterychecked or an oil change and you should not need to raise your electic bill by running the hrater every night.

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Rob Painter

Expertise

Alarm system questions cannot be answered on this forum. These systems are not what I can answer. Without being physically at the vehicle and not knowing what kind of electrical service has been done on the vehicle, there is no possible way to give an accurate answer over the internet. My expertise is in Ignition/key based anti-theft systems. These issues include GM VATS (resistor chip in key blade) PASSLOCK (MRD)-ignition lock rotation based, no special ignition key and the PKIII Transponder (computer chip in key) systems. These systems are not alarm based and are integral with the starting of the engine. This is why I cannot diagnose alarm problems without physically looking at the vehicle: Alarm systems are a completely different annimal than ignition key/lock based anti-theft system. Many alarm questions come from vehicles 10 years old, and since older, many hands that had been involved over the years.I am an expert in all GM factory (ignition/key based)systems. Alarm system questions pose to many situations beyond my knowledge as to what has been done to the vehicle over the years. Some guy may have actually wired the stereo into the alarm system. Who knows? Over my past 30 years in vehicle wiring repair, I have seen unbelievable wiring disaters done by guys that consider themselves "mechanics." I have seen stereos and alarms intalled using surgical tape. I have seen modules burn up, un-fused circuits, wiring jambed between the doors and even lamp cord used for a starter kill. To answer alarm questions over the internet without examining the vehicle is like asking; What does it take to remove a dent?

Experience

Education/Credentials-ASE certified. 11 years with a GM dealer and 17 years with a repair facility dealing with only the repair of theft recovered vehicles.

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